baked panko-crusted chicken tenders with honey-bbq dipping sauce
October 11th, 2009
There are breadcrumbs…
And then there are Panko. :) Mmmm…how I love these fabulously crispy and light Japanese breadcrumbs. I honestly don’t know how Americans missed out on them for so long. They do wonders with adding great crunch and texture…especially to baked foods!
So this week decided to make use of the unopened bag in my pantry and make some classic baked chicken fingers. This recipe is definitely one of my favorites. It’s full of subtle flavor, and is relatively quick to throw together. And being that I live in Kansas City – land of all things BBQ – thought I’d be a good little citizen and whip up a simple honey-barbecue sauce to go along with. But I’ve also included some other quick homemade sauce recipes below.
These are definitely “classic” for a reason! Kiddos love them, and adults can love them even more knowing that they’re b-a-k-e-d! :)
(Adapted from Love and Olive Oil)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or breast tenders
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
Honey-Barbecue Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup favorite barbecue sauce
- 3 Tbsp. honey
Method:
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with foil and lightly spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a small bowl or shallow dish, season the flour with salt and black pepper, and lightly beat the eggs in another shallow dish. In a third shallow dish, combine panko breadcrumbs with oregano, garlic, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
If using chicken breasts, prepare by putting one breast in between two layers of plastic wrap. Pound to an even thickness of approximately 1/2″. Remove plastic and slice into strips.
Dredge tenders in the flour to coat, shaking off any excess flour. Dip the floured chicken tenders into the egg and then coat the chicken tenders with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips.
Bake chicken tenders for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown, flipping once part way through the cook time.
To prepare sauce, whisk together honey and barbeque sauce in a small bowl until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ali’s Tip:
There’s a reason why restaurants offer you about 500 sauce options whenever you order chicken fingers. It seems everyone has a different favorite! So to provide a few more options, here are a couple other simple sauce recipes you can try…
Apricot Sauce
- ⅔ cup apricot preserves
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tsp. ketchup
Honey-Mustard Sauce
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. mustard
- 2 Tbsp. honey
Basil Aioli
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Panko breadcrumbs are the best! I use it when I bake chicken to give it a crispy coating. Your apricot dipping sauce looks wonderful-I’ll have to try that next time chicken tenders are on the menu.
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Nicely done post. Great photos. Thanks for sharing other dipping sauces to use.
Carmen
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Just tried these….yum!
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Added panko to my shopping list
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I have some panko buried in my cupboards and this seems like a perfect way to try them out. :D
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Very easy to make and great flavor / crispiness. I was out of cayenne so I used red pepper flakes.
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So I just made your recipe and absolutely loved it! thank you for sharing. Very simple and so easy!
Thanks again!
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I just made these for dinner… I only have 1/2 left b/c my kids and husband (and myself) couldn’t stop eating them.. so good!
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OMG…this was my very first attempt at cooking with Panko crumbs, and it turned out so delish!! I have fallen in love with your site/blog. I have found treasure in your recipes. I just loved the sauces that you included. The basil aioli by far was the best. I even used it on some salmon I baked…SO GOOD! Thank you for making cooking looks so pretty with your photos and for sharing!
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I’m going to make your recipe now (I’m the cook in my house) and I see you have salt and pepper listed once, but you require it both in the flour coat and in the Panko coating. Do you half it for each or is it ok to put it in the flour only, maybe adding just the cayenne pepper to the panko crumbs and no extra salt? I’m going to make it like I assumed and do it only in the flour except for the cayenne, Hope I’m right! lol
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Well I did it with the salt and pepper mixture in the flour and all other herbs, including Cayenne and it was the best chicken ever! Not too spicy, but was very zesty! Took some to the Sunday football game after freezing the cooked chicken and thawing it out on game day! Mix all kinds of sauce for dipping. Even substituted Barbecue sauce for the flour dip on some then the Panko and they were fabulous too! So many ways to tweak this one! Thanks for the recipe! :)))
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NOM NOM NOM NOM!!!!
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In the oven right now. Cannot wait. Thanks!!
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